Including cause of death in obituaries may be helpful

Published: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, January 21, 2013 at 10:44 a.m.

We're glad to see more families are including the cause of death in obituaries they compile for their loved ones.

One reason this is important is because casual acquaintances of the deceased or those who knew the person but lost track of them, i.e., former friends or classmates, are left to wonder what caused them to die. Often this sort of ruminating leads to various conjecture, especially if the person was middle-aged or younger. Did they commit suicide because they were in financial trouble? Drink themselves to death? Die in an accident at home? Cancer, maybe?

Of course, if the deceased was age 80 or so, it's common knowledge that their health dynamics likely played a role. Still, it's better to let others know for certain, rather than to create speculation.

He/she suffered from diabetes, Alzheimer's or battled Parkinson's are examples of succinct statements that remove all doubt.

We should say here, families shouldn't be ashamed of what caused the loved one's passing. Their memories won't be less fond or less cherished because of how they died.

We understand, too, that some families don't feel comfortable about sharing a cause of death because they believe they may be betraying a trust or bringing embarrassment to the one who has passed. That is, they don't think their loved ones would have wanted to share their problems with the world.

This, however, may be weighed against another important factor related to obituaries. They serve as an historical record for future generations of family members. There will likely be a relative who wants or needs to know the cause of a grandmother or grandfather's death. When the preceding generation prior to him or her has passed on as well, who will be able to tell them if it is not stated in the obituary? They may want to know this out of curiosity, or they may need to know this in order to track one of the health issues mentioned above that may tend to run in the family.

We know of a man in his 60s whose grandmother died in the 1930s. Some of his aunts and uncles told him she died in childbirth. Her obituary, however, stated she died of "natural causes." The grandmother was in her mid 30s. This was an obvious case of trying to protect the dignity of the woman, which was a common practice in compiling obituaries during that era. Still, the grandson has no certainty about why she died. He is only left to believe what others have said.

We do find clues in some contemporary obituaries that omit the cause of death but mention where memorials should be made, but we still can't be certain.

<p>We're glad to see more families are including the cause of death in obituaries they compile for their loved ones.</p><p>One reason this is important is because casual acquaintances of the deceased or those who knew the person but lost track of them, i.e., former friends or classmates, are left to wonder what caused them to die. Often this sort of ruminating leads to various conjecture, especially if the person was middle-aged or younger. Did they commit suicide because they were in financial trouble? Drink themselves to death? Die in an accident at home? Cancer, maybe?</p><p>Of course, if the deceased was age 80 or so, it's common knowledge that their health dynamics likely played a role. Still, it's better to let others know for certain, rather than to create speculation.</p><p>He/she suffered from diabetes, Alzheimer's or battled Parkinson's are examples of succinct statements that remove all doubt.</p><p>We should say here, families shouldn't be ashamed of what caused the loved one's passing. Their memories won't be less fond or less cherished because of how they died.</p><p>We understand, too, that some families don't feel comfortable about sharing a cause of death because they believe they may be betraying a trust or bringing embarrassment to the one who has passed. That is, they don't think their loved ones would have wanted to share their problems with the world.</p><p>This, however, may be weighed against another important factor related to obituaries. They serve as an historical record for future generations of family members. There will likely be a relative who wants or needs to know the cause of a grandmother or grandfather's death. When the preceding generation prior to him or her has passed on as well, who will be able to tell them if it is not stated in the obituary? They may want to know this out of curiosity, or they may need to know this in order to track one of the health issues mentioned above that may tend to run in the family.</p><p>We know of a man in his 60s whose grandmother died in the 1930s. Some of his aunts and uncles told him she died in childbirth. Her obituary, however, stated she died of "natural causes." The grandmother was in her mid 30s. This was an obvious case of trying to protect the dignity of the woman, which was a common practice in compiling obituaries during that era. Still, the grandson has no certainty about why she died. He is only left to believe what others have said.</p><p>We do find clues in some contemporary obituaries that omit the cause of death but mention where memorials should be made, but we still can't be certain.</p><p>Remember, there's only one judgment that counts.</p>